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Us vs. Them: West Virginia protects against suicide

There are states where it is acceptable for a family to discuss whether one of their members should kill themselves, and there are states where it is not. There are states—like Oregon, California, Vermont, Washington and many others now—where insurance companies can deny people end-of-life care —but offer to cover the cost of their suicide. And there are states —like West Virginia —where they cannot. I am proud to be a son of West Virginia, where suicide is known as a problem and not pushed as a solution. But well-funded liberal interest groups —like Portland, Oregon’s ...

Republicans gain edge in Ohio Supreme Court races

Before the 2022 election, Ohio Supreme Court justice candidates ran in partisan primaries and then had their party affiliation removed for the general election. Of course, the parties backed their candidates, spending money building them up and sometimes attacking their opponents. But without affiliation on the general election ballot, numerous people weren’t aware of who was a Republican and who was a Democrat. We can talk about judicial philosophy, but voters largely decide who to support in these races based on party affiliation and name recognition. Republicans, who control ...

Trump, Vance advance lies about Springfield

Springfield is similar to Youngstown and Warren. They’re Rust Belt cities in Ohio that have experienced major declines in population over the last 60 years as the industries and businesses that once helped them thrive left. Despite best efforts and some improvements — such as focusing on rebuilding downtowns and seeking to attract new businesses — the cities still struggle. Springfield saw its population start to increase in 2017 when Haitian immigrants began legally relocating there to get a fresh start and employment after the city attracted some new businesses in need of ...

Harris could help Valley Dems on November 5

Before Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the presidential nominee, Mahoning Valley Democrats were rightfully concerned that the incumbent at the top of the ticket would drag down the rest of the party’s candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot. Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate performance left Democrats, who were unenthusiastic about him before that, in a position where they knew if he remained the presidential candidate that he would definitely hurt other candidates by his mere presence. Harris has infused energy into the party that it never would have experienced had Biden remained the ...

Which team do you choose?

Romans 8:31 asks: “What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” There is a great deal of talk these days about team-work - in the office, in sports, in political campaigns, and in contests of all types. What kind of team do you want to be on? Of course, we all want to be on the winning team. In our present culture the goals for winning are messed up. Some think that when they put someone down, they win. Some think that having the most money, the best car and the best clothes makes them a winner. What is really important, is when you give your life ...

Controlling some forms of arthritis with diet

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published Jan. 2, 2021. Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for ...